Choose your destination:
Valley Forge
Valley Forge National Historical Park
www.nps.gov/vafo
Route 23 and North Gulph Road
Valley Forge, PA 19482
Phone: 610-783-1077
Open daily, 9 a.m. - 5p.m.
Age 17 and up: $3 admission to Washington's HeadquartersBrandywine Battlefield Park
www.ushistory.org/brandywine
Route 1
Chadds Ford, PA 19317
Phone: 610-459-3342
Open March – November, Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday 12-5 p.m.; Adults $5; Ages 6-17 $2.50; Seniors $3.50. Group rate: $3.50 per personOn September 11, this was the site of the Battle of Brandywine in 1777. Here, 15,000 British troops clashed with 11,000 Americans on September 11, 1777. The Americans were forced to retreat and the British marched on to take Philadelphia, unopposed. One heroic African-American soldier, Ned Hector, refused to abandon his team of horses and supply wagon during the retreat; his bravery was recognized, and Hector Street in Conshohocken is named for him.
Johnson House Historic Site
www.johnsonhouse.org
6306 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19144
215-438-1768This is the only Underground Railroad station in Philadelphia that remains intact and is open to the public. The Johnson family, prominent Quakers and abolitionists, were associated with leading abolitionists and other well-known figures including Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Horace Greeley, William Lloyd Garrison and Abba Alcott, Louisa May Alcott's mother. The nation's first anti-slavery protest was issued nearby in 1688 at the home of Thones Kunder, which is no longer standing.
Lancaster County
Amish Farmland Tour/Bird-in-Hand Meeting House
Step back into a world of years past – a world without modern technology or convenience – with a tour of the Amish farmlands and countryside of Lancaster County. This one-hour tour through the back country roads tells the story of the Amish who came to Lancaster seeking freedom of religion and includes a drive past the Friends Meeting House, a Quaker meetinghouse and Underground Railroad stop during the mid-1800s. The Meeting House also is the burial site of Daniel and Hannah Gibbons, a Quaker couple who provided assistance and shelter to as many as 1000 fugitive slaves.Lancaster County Historical Society
230 N. President Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603
Tuesday and Thursday – 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday – 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday and Monday – Closed, Closed all major holidays
Admission: Exhibitions: Free, Library: $5 per day; Free for members and primary, secondary, and college students.The Historical Society is the home of numerous collections detailing and preserving the history of Lancaster County, including its place as an important part of the Underground Railroad. Included are numerous artifacts from Congressman and abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens, maps and other documents relating to Underground Railroad stops, and other information on African-Americans in Lancaster County and their Quest for Freedom in the 19th century.
Thaddeus Stevens/Lydia Hamilton Smith Historic Site
(Will open to public in 2006)
45 – 47 S. Queen Street/21 – 23 E. Vine Street
Lancaster, PACurrently under construction/restoration, the homes of Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith will become a historical museum to tell the stories of these two individuals whose work on the Underground Railroad assisted many Africans. Stevens, an attorney and abolitionist, headed the defense team that successfully represented the men charged with treason after the Christiana Resistance. Smith, Stevens' housekeeper, was a conductor on the Underground Railroad.
Bethel AME Church, Lancaster
450 – 512 E. Strawberry Street
Lancaster, PA"Living the Experience"
Phone 800-510-5899 ext. 113 or 717-509-1177, ext. 102.Bethel AME is the oldest AME Church in Lancaster and was itself a shelter for Africans who sought freedom along the Underground Railroad and a center of spiritual renewal for free African-Americans who lived in Lancaster. Today, journey back to the time of the Civil War and experience first-hand the plight and struggle of escaped Africans with the living history production "Living the Experience."
"Living the Experience" production runs each Saturday, February through December and begins at 1:00 p.m. The performance including the meal after the show (meal available for groups of 35 or larger only) lasts approximately three hours.
Individual ticket price available at $23.00 - ticket price does not include a meal.
Group rates are available for 35 or more: $30 per person. Children 6-12 $17 (rate does not apply to children's' groups, so please specify when you call). Tour Operator/Receptive rates are available.
We have added Tuesday, Thursday and Friday Matinees at 10am, 11am, 1pm or 2 pm for groups of 35 or more only. Meals by arrangement. All shows are by reservation. For tickets, call (800) 510-5899 ext. 113 or 717-509-1177, ext. 102.
Columbia
First National Bank Museum
170 Locust Street
Columbia, PA
Phone: 717-684-8864
Open Wed - Fri, 10 am-5pm; Sat and Sun, 12 noon-5 pmThis Heritage site, built in 1814, retains the original teller's cage and bank vault from the 19th century and is the only known bank still preserved in its original setting in the United States. William Whipper and Steven Smith, both successful African-American businessmen, kept accounts at the First National Bank. Funds from these accounts assisted Africans along the Underground Railroad.
Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge
This bridge, once the main passageway between Columbia (known as the Gateway to the West) and Wrightsville, was burned on June 28, 1863, when Columbia residents and Union soldiers fleeing the Confederacy set the bridge ablaze to prevent the Confederate advance toward Philadelphia. Prior to that, railcars owned by William Whipper and Steven Smith crossed the Susquehanna River via the bridge with hidden fugitive slaves.Zion Cemetery
This cemetery is the final resting place of many soldiers who fought with the Black Company from Columbia during the Civil War. This company fought against Confederate troops advancing along the Wrightsville-Columbia Bridge. Among those buried at Zion is Robert Loney, a Civil War soldier and conductor on the Underground Railroad whose own family was among the first group of slaves freed in the early 1800s.
York County
William Goodridge House
123 East Philadelphia Street
York, PAVisit the home of William C. Goodridge, one of the area's most active Underground Railroad stationmasters. A prominent African-American businessman in York, Goodridge built the tallest building of its time in York City, and often hosted anti-slavery meetings with noted abolitionists.
Goodridge worked in a variety of fields during his life, but the one most connected with the Quest for Freedom involved Goodridge's work with the railroad industry – the Goodridge Reliance Line comprised 13 railroad cars serving 20 Pennsylvania communities. Goodridge used his rail cars to transport escaping slaves along the Underground Railroad.
Goodridge also hid fugitive slaves inside his house, in a secret room at the back of his basement, and in a straw lined trench located under a building at the back of his house.
Today his home still stands as evidence to the drive and ambition necessary for a black man in his time to build the kind of wealth and standing that Goodridge possessed in the York community, but also as a testament to the extreme humanity he exhibited through selfless acts as he risked his own life to guide escaping slaves to freedom.
William Goodridge Mural
West Market Street (Between South Penn & Newberry Streets)
York, PAThis larger than life outdoor mural pays tribute to William Goodridge, one of the most prominent stationmasters on the Underground Railroad. A prominent African-American businessman in York, Goodridge was a leader in the abolitionist effort and the struggle to guide escaping slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
One of more than 20 outdoor open-air murals throughout the city depicting the rich history and heritage of the York area, the mural is a worthwhile stop on it's own, or as part of the larger murals tour available through the York County Heritage Trust.
Gettysburg
Gettysburg National Military Park – Gettysburg National Cemetery
Open All Year - September through May 8am to 5pm
June through August 8am to 6pmCyclorama Center Museum
Open All Year 9am to 5pmLocated on 6,000 acres with 26 miles of roads, offers a step back into the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg - the turning point of the Civil War. Over 1,400 monuments, markers and memorials pay tribute to the thousands of men who fought on this land and those who called these fields home.
Rostrum and Lincoln Speech Memorial – site of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address – said to be a "masterpiece of the English language" in 272 words. Credited as being the president that "freed the slaves," the speech noted "that all men are created equal."
Abraham Brien Farm House – Gettysburg National Military Park (Located behind the Cyclorama Building on the grounds of the Park's Visitors Center)
This farm house, owned by Abraham Brien, a free black man, stood in the middle of General Pickett's Confederate army charge during the Civil War's Battle of Gettysburg.
St. Paul's AME Zion Church
269 South Washington Street
Gettysburg, PAHome of the "Slave Refugee Society", established in 1840 as "a means to help those who sought freedom from the 'tyrannical yoke of oppression'." St. Paul's was the center of black life and culture in Gettysburg during the 19th century.
Lincoln Cemetery
Long Lane and Washington Street
Gettysburg, PAMen of color who fought bravely for the Union Army are laid to rest in this cemetery. Here, approximately 30 US Colored Troop soldiers are remembered and honored for their bravery and loyalty in the fight for freedom.
Mason Dixon Line
Approximately Seven miles South of Gettysburg, PA.
This boundary, surveyed along the borders of Pennsylvania and Maryland, became a symbol of freedom from oppression for blacks enslaved in southern states. Underground Railroad agents ushered thousands of fugitive slaves across this line and on to freedom.Dobbin House Tavern
89 Steinwehr Ave.
Gettysburg, PAAn Underground Railroad site that provides a walk through time featuring a small crawlspace where escaped slaves were given refuge. Location still serves as a tavern and is open to the public.
